Soon after, a woman that looked to be in her forties stepped inside with a bowed head and introduced herself. "Good afternoon Miss, I am Stella, and I will be grooming you for dinner". She was quite beautiful with short brown hair and light blue eyes.
"Hello Miss Stella, I am Phoenix. Please raise your head Madam, I am no one of great importance nor am I noble", I replied with a bow. I felt uncomfortable at the amount of respect I was shown by this woman. Still, the woman kept her head lowered and spoke "Miss, you are the most important person in the castle right now, although you may not be aware of it as yet". Those words were a little unsettling for me. How could I possibly be of importance to anyone noble? My mind drifted back to the dream as I heard the strange woman's words once more in my mind. "The secrets hidden in the thoughts will bear wounds to the heart. Remember who you are, if you are to control what has hidden in the dark". I knew it was a dream but this woman's words left me feeling quite uneasy. I have only had dreams of the little boy for as long as I can remember. That woman, why did she show up all of a sudden, and what did she mean? I asked myself.
Soon after, a woman that looked to be in her forties stepped inside with a bowed head and introduced herself. "Good afternoon Miss, I am Stella, and I will be grooming you for dinner". She was quite beautiful with short brown hair and light blue eyes.
"Hello Miss Stella, I am Phoenix. Please raise your head Madam, I am no one of great importance nor am I noble", I replied with a bow. I felt uncomfortable at the amount of respect I was shown by this woman. Still, the woman kept her head lowered and spoke "Miss, you are the most important person in the castle right now, although you may not be aware of it as yet". Those words were a little unsettling for me. How could I possibly be of importance to anyone noble? My mind drifted back to the dream as I heard the strange woman's words once more in my mind. "The secrets hidden in the thoughts will bear wounds to the heart. Remember who you are, if you are to control what has hidden in the dark". I knew it was a dream but this woman's words left me feeling quite uneasy. I have only had dreams of the little boy for as long as I can remember. That woman, why did she show up all of a sudden, and what did she mean? I asked myself.
Miss Stella stripped me of my dirtied sky-blue dress and rested it on the floor, leaving me in my chemise. I felt uncomfortable for I had not even stood before my own mama in such a bare state. Miss Stella seemed to notice the discomfort in my face and uttered a few words of encouragement, "Miss, I need to ensure that you have a proper bath before going down for dinner. You will enjoy it, so please do not mind me and finish undressing".
She then looked away as I hesitantly took off my chemise and slowly stepped into the bath. The water was warm and smelt of vanilla, a luxury I was not used to. At home, I washed in a small bathing basin with a pitcher, only able to use the cold water fetched from the river. Sometimes my family could not even afford soap to properly clean ourselves, so we had to scrub harshly with water and whatever floral plants we could find. The shelves beside the bath caught my attention immediately. They were filled with an abundance of different soaps and flower petals.
"Would you like to choose a soap for yourself Miss?", Miss Stella asked with a smile on her face. It seems she noticed that I had been staring at them.
Smiling back, I nodded and inspected the soap intently. Meanwhile, Miss Stella began to apply beaten egg whites to my hair. I was surprised by the variety of soaps ranging from rose to mint. Finally, I decided on a soap that was light pink and bore the scent of the peony flower.
After rinsing her hands, Miss Stella took the soap and began to clean me from head to toe, filling the room with the sweet scent of peonies. I began to play with the foam that the soap produced, blowing a few bubbles into the air. Miss Stella smiled and said, "My my, it has certainly been a while since I have seen a new person inside the castle. It is rather refreshing to see you having fun, Miss Phoenix". I felt my smile slowly fading as I realized that I still knew nothing about this place or the people that resided here.
"Miss Stella, would it be alright for me to ask you a few things?" I asked cautiously.
"Of course, Miss. Anything you ask I shall do my best to answer" she spoke cheerfully.
"Well, Lord Jagger that was here earlier, who exactly is he, and was he the one that brought me here?" I inquired in a fit of extreme curiosity.
"Well, Lord Jagger is the eldest son of the duke and duchess. He is twenty-two years old, rather respectful, intelligent, generous, and highly skilled. He is quite the young man I must say", she spoke in one quick breath.
"Have you any idea of why I was brought here?" I hoped the woman would have some clue as to why I was in this castle.
"I cannot say I do, Miss. Servants are not allowed to question the family and just do as we are told" she replied with a sigh while rinsing my body. Miss Stella then rinsed my hair thoroughly with a mixture of rum and peony water. There was still so much that I wanted to find out. If Lord Jagger is the duke and duchess' son, that means I am probably in Arundel castle, but why?
"All done now" Miss Stella announced cheerily with a wide smile that shook me from my thoughts.
I stepped out of the bath where Miss Stella wrapped a towel around my body and one around my wet hair. She then took me over to the far-right corner of the room, where I saw a brown vanity and wardrobe that I had not noticed earlier. It seems that the room is much bigger than I had thought it to be at first. She pulled out the matching chair that stood before the vanity and gestured for me to sit.
I obliged and sat down staring at my reflection in the mirror. I looked refreshed, almost as if I was glowing. Miss Stella squeezed the excess water from my hair into the towel and removed it. She began combing through my curly locks to detangle them. It was surprisingly painless compared to when I had done it at home, but then again, I had not been wealthy enough to use egg whites or rum and flower water in my hair. Pouring three small portions of oil and pomade onto her hand, Miss Stella rubbed them together and began smoothing it onto my hair. She left the hair as is to finish drying, while she brought out several dresses, a petticoat, and a brand-new corset.
"Miss Stella um... I have not, ...." I felt slightly embarrassed at the sight of the corset and petticoat. Though I was eighteen with a maturing body, I had only ever worn a chemise beneath my dresses.
"What is it, Miss?" Stella asked, waiting for her response.
"I have never worn corsets or petticoats before" I whispered while looking away. It felt awkward to talk about this kind of topic, especially with someone I had just met. At home, if I needed a new chemise I did not have to ask because Mama could tell when they were worn out. I also preferred the little modesty chemises could provide in comparison to corsets and petticoats.
"Miss Phoenix, that is quite alright. There is no need to feel strange speaking about this because I shall be taking care of you every day during your stay here. Your body is maturing rather quickly, so you need to wear these types of undergarments. These help to enhance your figure and show maturity. It is a must for young ladies" she spoke calmly.
"Alright Miss, I shall wear them" I agreed, trying my hardest to override the awkwardness I felt.
Miss Stella then removed the towel from my body and walked over to the wardrobe, selecting a lacey thin white chemise and a matching pair of drawers. She came over to me and slid the chemise over my head, pulling it down. It had no sleeves and was low cut with the sweetheart neckline stopping just slightly above my bosom. I had only been used to wearing larger shapeless chemises, so this style was quite new.
It wrapped snugly around my figure with the ends trailing softly outwards. Shortly afterward, I stepped into the pair of drawers. Miss Stella pulled them up, making sure to keep the chemise over them. Miss Stella then proceeded to dress me in the corset, which was white and gold. She laced it up quite snugly against my body, causing my bosom to sit fairly high. I blushed in embarrassment at the sight.
"Okay, Miss Phoenix, it is now time to choose a dress!" Miss Stella exclaimed.
The dresses she had brought out were beautiful, obviously made from quite expensive materials. There were three of them, a red one that was long with a straight bottom and a ruffled torso with long sleeves. Beside it was a pink one that boasted a poofy long skirt and a lacey torso with short sleeves. However, the last one caught my eye. It was white with gold detailing and gems all over. It was the most beautiful dress I had ever laid eyes upon.
"I wish to wear the white one, Miss Stella," I said with the biggest grin stretching across my face.
"As you wish, Miss", Stella replied.
Once Miss Stella had finished helping me into my dress, she pulled out a pair of long white gloves and slipped them onto my hands.
I then slipped into a pair of white slippers that hugged my feet and sprayed perfume onto my body. I watched myself in the mirror, am I really wearing these items of luxury? I asked myself. Everything fit perfectly, which caused me to wonder who had shopped for these items.
"Miss Stella, how did you know my exact sizes?" I asked in a fit of curiosity.
"I did not, Miss Phoenix, young master Bellamy was the one that gave us your measurements and ordered us to shop for you" she replied.
"Lord Bellamy?" I felt anxious about her answer. He would have had to take the measurements himself. I shuddered as I shook off the thought and allowed Miss Stella to place jewelry on my neck and ears.